Over the past few days, I keep seeing mentions of a college guy who decided to ditch the Internet (e-mail, social media, web surfing – you name it) as well as his cell phone for 90 days. During this time, he had infinitely more time to study, learned the value of a handwritten letter, found creative ways to meet up with friends and family, and was even able to win an old girlfriend back. After an extremely unplugged 3 months, he concluded that he’d found out who his true friends are, strengthened relationships with those who matter most, and gained an appreciation for the basic day-to-day social interactions that were facts of life as little as a generation ago, but are practically unknown in our current Facebook and text message addicted age.

To say the least, I was inspired, at least enough to break away from my usual ramblings about chargers and other accessories that pimp out the gadgets that are permanently glued in our hands and to our ears, and keep them ready for use now now now. While each of those things is great in its own respect, there’s also something to be said for things that don’t glow, beep, or have apps, so that’s what we’re sticking with today.

Meet BlueLounge® CableClips™, a line of multi-purpose cord wraps that very recently charmed me with their no-nonsense functionality and minimalistic good looks. They have a basic one-piece design that features two cord channels, and absolutely no components that will pinch cords or snap off. They’re made to keep excess cable length coiled and clipped together, and that’s exactly what they do – just push cords into CableClips through the lengthwise openings in the cable channels, and you’re organized. And like everything from BlueLounge, they’re aesthetically designed to complement, and not overwhelm, their surroundings.

It turns out that GPSs aren’t the only handy gadgets to have suctioned onto your interior windshield these days. I just met the newest addition to our solar power family of products, and I have to say, I’m quite pleased to make its acquaintance. Meet the Car and Boat Multi-Device Solar Charger.

Figures I’d like the Car and Boat Solar Charger – after all, our company is based in South Florida, a region that is widely acknowledged to be the Land of, well… cars and boats (flashy ones). And lots of sun. So it’s the perfect fit! But global coordinates aside, this mobile sidekick will work great anywhere that there’s a steady source of daylight.

As I mentioned before, this extremely novel and useful charger suctions onto your windshield, which puts it in perpetual sunbathing mode. That means it’s continuously charging, so you have the power to recharge cell phones, GPS units, mobile video games and more, anytime, anywhere. This may be the greatest thing to happen to road trips since Red Bull.

The Car and Boat Solar Charger comes with a retractable adapter cable and 4 interchangeable connectors (micro USB, mini USB, Nintendo™ 3DS and Sony PSP®), so that you can directly connect the charger to almost any mobile gadget. Other features include a red LED charging indicator, so you know when it’s charging, and a flashing blue LED, which does nothing more than mimic the look of a car alarm light so that you’re vehicle’s a little safer when you’re not around to watch it (love that!).

I’ve pretty much had it with the old “thumb-crook-to-elbow” cable wind, because even though that old standby is a fast and easy way to turn a long cord into a smallish bundle, I’ve found that in most cases, the cable loops tend to mingle a little too closely, and end up tangled anyway. Sheesh.

So I switched to assorted winders and cable reels, which were great until my husband found out the hard way that reeled cords hanging out on a trailer can come loose when jostled around too much, causing the plug-end of a much-needed extension cord to hang over the side and bounce along the road asphalt in such a way that said plug arrives at its destination looking like someone tried to put it down a garbage disposal. Sheesh again.

I had been beginning to think that cord reels have to be stowed in protective boxes or similar to prevent the cables wrapped around them from unwinding, being scratched up, getting wet or becoming encrusted in dirt, but not to long ago, I ran into I new type of cord winder that’s put a glimmer of hope on the horizon: the Reel-A-Pail® Quickwinder™.

As you’ve probably already guessed, the Reel-A-Pail involves both a reel and a pail, and is indeed quick at winding cables. Just think of it as a heavy-duty cable reel that’s encased in a bucket-like outer shell that keeps stored cable perfectly contained, and protects it from the ravages of dirt, moisture, abrasion and impact. That’s what I’m talking about!

One of the things that I like so much about Reel-A-Pail is that it’s all-inclusive (a package deal that doesn’t require any extra add-ons for complete functionality/protection), comes in several styles and sizes to suit almost any need, and is even versatile when you get down to specific models, as each type can accommodate a range of cable types and sizes. It terms of portable cable storage and organization, you really can’t go wrong.

Depending on which model you choose, the Reel-A-Pail Quickwinder either comes with a flat base that can be bolted down to a trailer, truck bed or floor, or a handy built-in wheeled cart that lets you roll substantial loads of cable wherever they may be needed.